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Published: March 9th 2012
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This blog is long overdue, as most of them were along the way. No apologies this time, I was kind of busy!
I ended my time in Southeast Asia on a high note. I spent almost 48 hours traveling from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur on two back-to-back overnight trains. I met up with old friends and made several new ones along the way. I also had the pleasure of spending an 8 hour layover in Penang with a fellow American named Peter. We walked up and down every street in the city, admiring the unique architecture, sampling all the foods, and sharing travel stories. This was only two weeks after my experience in Cambodia, and it was the single most important thing since; Peter restored my faith in the godness of people. I've never before felt like I'd been
sent a person I needed to meet, but in this instance Peter offered me more than he could ever know. His generousity, his honesty, and his insight changed my fear into hope, and my distrust back into faith in humanity. He reinspired my desire to travel at a time I was ready to give up, and for that I will always
be thankful. After two months of the most mentally challenging trip of my life, I said goodbye to the humid, equatorial weather and hello to winter in South Korea.
I had the great pleasure of staying with my old roommate Sunny at her family's home in Seoul. I also got to see Annie, Anna, and Sun Young, my other Korean friends from high school. It was so exciting to see how much we had changed in the 5 years since we graduated, yet how much we had stayed the same. It was also intersting to note the differences since my last visit, 7 years earlier. This time around Sunny had a full time job, her own car, and we were all legal to drink! Clubbing in Seoul was unlike any other nightlife I've witnessed. Let it be known that shuffling is a global craze... Because Sunny was so busy with work, I decided to take a mini trip down to Jeju Island off the southern tip of SK. I couchsurfed with two Americans I had met in Laos; they live on the island teaching English. They showed me around the sites, which included beaches lined with volcanic rock, miles
of walking and hiking trails, plenty of dol haraebong, and a fun little place called "Love Land". It was a nice break from the fast pace of the city and a good taste of the temperatures I could expect when I got home. Unfortunately.
On March 4th, I woke up at 5:30 AM and Sunny dropped me at the bus station in Seoul, where I took the hour ride to the airport. From here I took a two hour flight to Shanghai, struggled through a two hour layover, and then strapped in for a 16 hour flight to New York. By the magic of time-travel I arrived at JFK at 1:00 PM the same day and was welcomed back with lots of hugs and kisses from my parents. And then we made the four hour drive home (made much more tolerable by Girl Scout cookies and Goldfish). The next few days were jetlagged and a whirl of reunions. Best homecoming I've had by far!
So you know the stories, the highlights, the pictures. But here are the statistics:
I traveled for 6 and 1/2 months or 28 weeks or 195 days (130 with Tay, 65
solo)
168 of those nights were spent couchsurfing, staying with friends, or taking advantage of some form of free accommodation (ex: overnight trains). That means 86% of my nights on the road came at absolutely no cost.
I had 22 different couchsurfing hosts and made countless more friends.
I toured 10 countries and stayed in 32 different cities and towns.
I read 19 books.
My belongings never weighed more than 20 kilos.
I spent a total of $7740, including all my plane tickets. That averages out to $40/day to live and live well.
If you want to know any of my travel secrets or any more details about my trip, let me know! I'm impressed and pleased with myself and feel like I have learned a new set of life skills. I'm always willing to enlighten and educate people on ways to travel smarter and cheaper.
Fingers crossed for Europe: summer 2012! To be continued....
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Home and Away
Bob Carlsen
Thank God for people like Peter!
That is wonderful that he restored your faith in the goodness of people. We look forward to reading your blogs about traveling around Europe.